Charles Fort, Co. Cork
Charleville Forest Castle, Co. Offaly
Dun an Oir (or Fort Del Oro), Co. Kerry
Huntington Castle, Co. Carlow
Killakee House, Dublin
Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin
Kinnitty Castle, Co. Offaly
Lake Hotel, Killarney
Leap Castle, Co. Offaly
Malahide Castle, Co. Dublin
McCarthy’s Bar, Fethard
Renvyle House Hotel, Co. Galway
St Michan’s Church, Dublin
Thoor Ballylee, Co. Galway
Both the north and the south of Ireland hold a special magic for me and when travelling there, I always feel that in some way I am going home. Maybe this is because my mother’s family roots lie in the beautiful countryside around Galway, or maybe it is the plethora of spiritually active locations that draws me. All I know is that Ireland is one of the very few places on this earth where I feel totally at peace.
Ireland is well known for the beauty of its landscape, but when the mist descends in the Celtic twilight this land of legend and mystery feels alive with supernatural energy. As a psychic investigator, I have been privileged to visit some amazing sites. But I have also experienced the terrible effects of clan rivalry – amply demonstrated during my visit to Leap Castle, home to the powerful O’Carroll family.
I hope that the suggested locations in this chapter will help the reader dip a toe into the bottomless ocean of possibilities contained within the shores of the Emerald Isle.
Charles Fort
The British built Charles Fort on the east side of the Bandon River estuary in Kinsale, Cork, in the late seventeenth century, after their defeat of the Spanish and Irish forces. One of Europe’s best-preserved forts, it encloses some 12 cliff-top acres and has five bastions and two surviving brick sentry boxes. Charles Fort remained garrisoned by the British until 1922.
A terrible family tragedy lies behind the ghost stories associated with this star-shaped fort. Soon after the fort was completed, Colonel Warrender, who was a strict disciplinarian, became its commanding officer. His beautiful daughter Wilful fell in love with and married Sir Trevor Ashurst, an officer at the fort. At sunset on their wedding day the married couple went for a walk along the battlements and Wilful noticed some beautiful flowers growing on the rocks beneath. A sentry agreed to climb down and get the flowers on the condition that her husband took his place on duty. Sir Trevor agreed, donned the sentry’s coat, took his pistol and entered the sentry box while the sentry climbed down to collect the flowers.
Unfortunately, after an exhausting day Sir Trevor fell asleep just as Colonel Warrender began his routine inspection of the fort’s sentry boxes. Furious to find a sentry sleeping on duty, the Colonel grabbed his pistol and shot the man through the heart. As Sir Trevor fell to the ground his coat fell open and the Colonel discovered his terrible mistake. When Wilful learned about the tragedy she let out a scream of anguish and threw herself from the battlements to her death. Consumed with grief, the Colonel placed a pistol against his own head and shot his brains out.
It is thought that three tragic deaths on a day marked out for happiness have left their timeless mark on this fascinating coastal fort. The ghost of Wilful in her wedding dress, known as the ‘White Lady of Kinsale’ to locals, is said to drift around the battlements and stairs in eternal anguish. She is described as beautiful but pale and her eyes are always fixed helplessly on some object in the distance. Soldiers used to talk with fear about her passing right through locked doors.
Charles Fort, near Kinsale, Co. Cork; Tel:+353 (0)21 477 2263; Fax +353 (0)21 477 4347.
Opening times: mid-March–October daily 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; November– mid-March weekends 10 a.m.–5 p.m., weekdays by arrangement. Guided tours available.
Charleville Forest Castle
Charleville Forest Castle, near Tullamore in County Offally, was built between 1798 and 1812 by Charles William Bury (1764–1835), the first Earl of Charleville, and designed by Francis Johnston. Built in the Gothic revival style, it is a testimony to the sheer extravagance of the Charleville family. The family’s inability to control their spending eventually led to periods of intermittent occupancy and the castle was all but abandoned in the 1960s. It had almost become a part of ‘Vanishing Ireland’ until a Charitable Trust was formed to help with its restoration.
It was during the restoration that reports of haunting began, and sightings have been so frequent since then that the castle has recently been called ‘Ireland’s spookiest castle’. Visitors are sometimes woken in the early hours of the morning by the laughing of children as if they are playing a game of hide and seek – but no children are present in the castle at the time. The ghosts of both Charles William Bury and Francis Johnston, amongst others, have also been seen here.
Perhaps the best known and most poignant of all the ghosts is that of a little girl wearing a blue chiffon dress. She has been seen often on the great winding staircase, her blue dress shimmering in the darkness. She is said to be the ghost of a girl named Harriet who tragically plunged to her death when she was sliding down the balustrade. Many people, walking down the staircase where the death occurred, have felt a cold draught pass them by, and others have seen her ghostly form skipping in front of them.
In recent years the castle has also been visited by many paranormal investigation groups from all around the world. It’s a spectacular place and, despite (or because of!) the number of ghosts that roam its corridors, you leave it with a sense of sheer wonder.
Charleville Forest Castle, Tullamore, Co. Offaly; Tel: +353 (0)5 062 1279; Website: www.charlevillecastle.com.
Open daily 12 p.m.–6 p.m.
The Castle is also available for weddings, seminars, photo-shoots, filming onsite and other special events.
Dun an Oir (or Fort Del Oro)
The promontory fort of Fort Del Oro or Dun an Oir, as it is known in Gaelic, lies on the west side of Smerwick Harbour in the Dingle Peninsula in the extreme south west of Ireland. In the sixteenth century Dingle became an important port for trading and had strong links with Spain. On 15 July 1579, Charles V of Spain sent an expeditionary force to Dingle under the leadership of James Fitzmaurice-Fitzgerald, a cousin of Dingle’s powerful overlord, Gerat, the sixteenth Earl of Desmond. Almost as soon as he landed Fitzgerald was ambushed and killed by the Burkes of Limerick. Although the Earl of Desmond had promised to help his kinsmen when they arrived at Dingle he was afraid to anger Queen Elizabeth I so he sent word to her forces about the threat from Spain. The Spanish left Dingle and sailed round the coast until they landed at Ferriters Cove. Once on land they built the Fort Del Oro as their base for operations against England.
On 11 November 1580 the fort was besieged by an English force led by Lord Grey. Once again the garrison hoped for assistance from the Earl of Desmond and once again none was forthcoming. Realizing that the situation was hopeless, the Spanish set down their arms. Even though the Spanish had surrendered, the English troops slaughtered them all, women and children too, in cold blood and left their corpses in heaps to rot away on land or to be washed away by the sea.
This site is now much overgrown, but a number of features survive to bear witness to its bloody past and many believe it is haunted. A local farmer recently claimed to have seen three skeletons floating out to sea, while another man said that he counted 12 skulls bobbing in the water. To this day around the time of the anniversary of the massacre locals living near Fort Del Oro report hearing agonized voices speaking in Spanish and crying out in pain and fear. Others say they can still smell the horrific stench of rotting flesh wafting on the breeze.
Dun An Oir, Ballyferriter, Dingle, Co Kerry; Tel:+353 (0)66 915 1188.
Huntington Castle
Huntington Castle in Clonegal, County Carlow, was built in 1625 by the First Lord Esmonde, replacing an earlier stronghold that had been built in the fifteenth century on the site of an ancient monastery. For the past two hundred years it has been home to the Durdin-Robertson family. Now open to the public, one of its best-known attractions is the 600-year-old Yew Walk, one of the few features to survive from the days of the monastery.
Branches form a long and sinister tunnel in the Yew Walk and on occasion the ghosts of monks have been seen walking up and down in silent conversation or contemplation. Also in the gardens is the restless spirit of Ailish O’Flaherty, the first wife of Lord Esmonde. She has been seen standing by the ‘spy bush’ combing her hair in the moonlight and sobbing in grief. According to local lore she would stand at that bush whenever her husband and son went off to the wars, anxiously awaiting their return.
It’s not just the gardens that are said to be haunted but the castle itself. A spectral soldier thought to have lived in the seventeenth century during Cromwell’s rebellion has been heard knocking on the door. In life he disguised himself in the uniform of the opposition in order to spy on the enemy, but tragically his comrades didn’t recognise him and shot him through the grille of the door where his ghostly face is now sometimes seen.
The spirit of Bishop Leslie of Limerick, who stayed at the castle when he retired in the eighteenth century, is thought to haunt the ‘Four Poster Room’. Guests have woken at night to see his face staring down at them. The Bishop’s face also appears in a portrait of a Spanish Flower Girl, frightening guests through the years.
Another spirit that lingers in Huntington is said to be that of Barbara St Lege (1748–1820), who married into the family. She adored Huntington and is often seen walking the corridors with her keys jangling as she goes. Sometimes she is followed by her maidservant, Honor Byrne, who pauses to polish door-handles with her hair.
Huntington Castle and Gardens, Clonegal, Co. Carlow; Tel: +353 (0)54 77552.
Open daily June– August 2 p.m.–5.30 p.m.
Killakee House
Killakee House, a well-preserved eighteenth-century farm house in Rathfarnham, Co. Dublin, was bought in 1968 by artist Margaret O’Brien and her husband. The house had been derelict since the 1940s and the couple intended to turn it into an arts centre.
Workmen renovating the building were troubled by mysterious sightings of a large black cat that could speak, alleged to be the size of a large ferocious dog. Mrs O’Brien dismissed the stories as ‘nonsense’, but soon changed her mind when she apparently saw the creature herself, squatting on the flagstones of the hallway just glaring at her. All the doors of the house had been locked both before and after its sudden appearance and disappearance.
One of the workmen, Tom McAssey, was working with two other men when he suddenly felt icy cold and a locked door swung wide open. The men panicked and slammed the door shut but it opened again. A hideous black cat with blazing red eyes was seen crouching and growling outside. McAssey said the cat spoke to him, saying ‘Leave this door open.’
Mrs O’Brien had the building exorcised and things quietened down for around a year. But then, in October 1969, a group of actors staying at the arts centre decided to hold a séance for a joke. The séance seems to have ‘opened the door’ to other disturbances, such as the appearance of two ghostly nun-like figures. A local medium suggested that they might be the unhappy spirits of two eighteenth-century women who had assisted or protested against satanic cat-worshipping rituals held during meetings of the notorious Hellfire Club. (The Hellfire Club was an exclusive English club that met irregularly from 1746 to around 1763, run by Sir Francis Dashwood.)
Today, a cosy restaurant occupies the old house, but reminders still exist of its sinister past. Some visitors to the house have reported feeling uneasy, as if they are being watched by an invisible presence. In particular there is Tom McAssey’s terrifying portrait, The Black Cat of Killakee, which gazes down from one of the walls with its bloodshot eyes and chilling, almost human, features.
Killakee Country House, Killakee Road, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16; Tel:+353 (0)1 493 2917/2645; Fax +353 (0)1 493 2645.
Open Tuesday–Saturday 12.30 p.m.–2 p.m., 6.30 p.m.–10.30 p.m., Sunday 12.30 p.m.–2 p.m.
Kilmainham Gaol
Built in 1792, the vast and eerie Kilmainham Gaol is Ireland’s most famous disused prison. It held many famous Nationalists and Republicans, including members of the Society of United Irishmen (1798), Young Irelanders (1840s), Fenians and land agitators, Parnell and Davitt. The leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were executed here. The prison was closed in 1924 and stood empty for many years before a dedicated band of volunteers set about its restoration in the early 1960s. Now open to the public, the jail offers a fascinating insight into the history of Irish Republicanism and imprisonment.
With such a colourful and often gruesome history, it is inevitable that Kilmainham Gaol is rumoured to have numerous ghosts. It was during the restoration that strange and unusual happenings were first reported. A man painting in the dungeon area of the prison was blasted against a wall by a huge gust of wind and afterwards refused ever to work in the gaol again. Another volunteer decorating the ‘1916 Corridor’ heard plodding footsteps behind him but when he turned around, even though the footsteps continued past him, he was astonished to find no one else in the corridor.
Today, tours are offered of this dark, historical structure that stands as a reminder of the troubles in Ireland. Visitors have been known to pause terrified on the threshold, refusing to go one step further. Others have reported feeling an evil and fearsome presence around the balcony of the chapel.
Kilmainham Gaol and Museum, Inchicore Road, Kilmainham, Dublin 8; Tel: +353 (0)1 453 5984; Fax +353 (0)1 453 2037.
Open April–September 9.30 a.m.–5 p.m. daily; October–March Monday– Saturday 9.30 a.m.–4 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
A visit to the Gaol includes a guided tour and an exhibition.
Kinnitty Castle
The Gothic Revival Kinnitty Castle, located in the heart of Ireland in County Offally, has a long and troubled history. The first stronghold built on the site was destroyed and rebuilt by the Normans around 1213 and the castle then changed owners a number of times until 1811, when Lady Catherine Hutchinson, wife of Thomas Bernard, commissioned the present castle. Although burned down by the Republicans in 1922, the castle was restored and has since been transformed into a magnificent and wonderfully atmospheric hotel with dark corridors and sweeping staircases, all decorated in keeping with the castle’s romantic olde-worlde style. Still in existence in the beautiful and extensive grounds are the remains of an Augustinian Abbey and an ancient Celtic High Cross, carved with biblical scenes.
The castle has its own resident ghost. One of the long-dead monks from the old foundation is said to find the ambience of the castle much more congenial and he has been seen wandering the darker corners of the banqueting room. He will also on occasion reveal future events, linked with the everyday business of the hotel, to members of staff – and the accuracy of the prophecies is said to astonish the owners!
Kinnitty Castle, Kinnitty, County Offaly; Tel: +353 (0)57 913 7318/7284; Email: info@kinnitycastle.com; Website: www.kinnittycastle.com.
DEREK’S TIP
Before visiting a haunted location find out all you can about the history of the place. Newspaper cuttings, local history books, chatting to locals and the internet can all help you find folklore and facts about the site.
Lake Hotel
Located on the shores of the world famous lakes of Killarney in south-west Ireland, the Lake Hotel is a magical place with its castle, lakes and mountain views. Although the building looks modern on the outside, inside enough remains to remind you that it was once a nineteenth-century manor house. In the hotel grounds are the ruins of Castlelough Castle. The castle was built around 1210 and was once home to the hard-drinking and hard-fighting McCarthy Mors.
One of the best-known Lake Hotel ghosts is Dan of the Feathers. During the reign of Elizabeth I, a soldier called Donal McCarthy acquired the nickname of Dan of the Feathers because of his habit of collecting the plumed helmets from fallen English troops as his trophies of war. His ghost is thought to drift towards the hotel across the lake in a spectral boat at midnight. Some say they have seen him in the Devil’s Punchbowl bar looking at the ruined castle with sadness, as if recalling its past days of glory.
Staff and guests in the hotel also report sightings of the other resident ghost in the hotel, a young girl aged 12 to 15. She is often seen flitting down the hotel’s many dark corridors. When she appears, witnesses describe a chilly feeling and a sense of peace and calm. No one knows who she is or why she haunts the hotel but she is described as dressing in white in the style of the seventeenth century. Some members of staff believe she may be the daughter of Ellen McCarthy, sister to Dan of the Feathers, and they have called the ghost Ellen after her mother.
Lake Hotel, Lake Shore, Muckross Road, Killarney, Co. Kerry; Tel:+353 (0)64 31035; Fax +353 (0)64 31035 1902; Email: info@lakehotel.com; Website: www.lakehotel.com
DEREK’S TIP
Don’t wear perfume or anything else with a strong smell on your visit. This is because spirits can use smells to attract your attention and you don’t want to get confused by your own scent.
Leap Castle
Built in the fourteenth century, Leap Castle was once the stronghold of the powerful and bloodthirsty O’Carroll family. Inter-clan bloodshed was a common occurrence for the O’Carrolls and a massacre once took place at a family reunion in the banqueting hall. Even the chapel wasn’t sacred. In 1532, a bitter dispute over succession arose and as siblings fought each other for leadership of the clan, one-eyed Teige O’Carroll is said to have slain his own brother, who was also a priest, as he celebrated Mass in the ‘Bloody Chapel’. In the seventeenth century the O’Carrolls lost possession of the castle to an English soldier named Captain Darby, who married into the family. In 1922 the castle was destroyed by fire and during its restoration a sinister room crammed with the remains of victims of Leap Castle’s bloody past was found.
Over the next seventy years, the castle remained unoccupied, and because of its violent history it was shunned by locals, especially at night when ghosts were said to inhabit it. People from across the fields said they could see the window of the Bloody Chapel suddenly light up, as though hundreds of candles were flickering inside. Those brave enough to walk in the ruins reported sightings of a lady wearing a billowing red gown.
In 1991 the castle was sold to Sean and Anne Ryan, and Sean set about converting it into a family home. Restoration was soon halted when a ladder Sean was using was inexplicably pushed away from the wall, leaving him with a fractured knee. Later another accident happened and this time he broke an ankle. ‘We began to think that we weren’t welcome here,’ Anne Ryan said at the time.
However, today Sean and Anne seem to have been largely accepted by the spirits. For example, in May 2002 Sean and Anne found a ghostly old man sitting in a chair by a downstairs fireplace. Completely unfazed, the couple said ‘good day’ to the phantom and continued about their business. It seems that ghosts settling by the fireside has become part of life for those who inhabit, or visit, Leap Castle.
Leap Castle, Clareen, Birr, Co. Offaly; Tel:+353 (0)57 913 1115; Mobile:+353 (0)87 234 4064.
Open to visitors on request.
Malahide Castle
Located in the pretty seaside heritage town of Malahide, in North County Dublin, this stately castle is eight hundred years old and is surrounded by 250 acres of park land. Malahide Castle is very special in Ireland because the Talbot family managed to keep control of it from 1185 to 1976. The history of the Talbot family is recorded in the Great Hall, where portraits of generations of the family tell their own story of Ireland’s stormy history. The castle is now open to the public, and visitors can step back in time and meander down ancient corridors and winding stairways that lead into atmospheric rooms, rich with period furnishings, family portraits and interesting artefacts.
It is thought that the castle is haunted by many unseen and unknown spirits whose presence can be felt in every room. One of the best-known ghosts is Puck the Phantom Jester. In the sixteenth century the Talbots always had a jester among their retinue of attendants. One of these jesters, Puck by name, fell in love with a kinswoman of Lady Elenora Fitzgerald, who was detained at the Castle by Henry VIII because of her rebel tendencies. On a snowy December night the jester was found close to the walls of the castle stabbed through the heart. Before he died he swore an oath that he would haunt the castle until a master reigned who chose a bride from the people.
The last appearance of Puck was reported during a sale of the contents of the castle in May 1976. An auctioneer from London was busily compiling an inventory when he looked up from his work and saw the unmistakable figure of Puck standing by the tiny doorway, shaking his head in censure.
Malahide Castle, Malahide, Co. Dublin; Tel:+353 (0)1 846 2184; Fax:+353 (0)1 846 2537.
Open April–October Monday–Friday 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.– 6 p.m., Sunday 11:30 a.m.–6 p.m.; November–March Monday– Friday 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Saturday–Sunday 2 p.m.– 5 p.m.
McCarthy’s Bar, Fethard
McCarthy’s pub can be found in the medieval town of Fethard, in the south east of Ireland. Originally built in the 1840s, McCarthy’s soon became very popular in the local neighbourhood. Not only did it offer excellent food, drink and accommodation, the owner Richard McCarthy also provided a host of other services, including groceries, linen, glass, china, livery stables, hackney carriages and, quite bizarrely, undertaking services. Although the business has been scaled down today it is still run by the McCarthy family and looks very much the same as it did the day it was opened. Along the walls are yellowed newspapers, faded photographs and peeling paint, while an ornate wood-burning stove dominates the pub’s forward section. Musical composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, whose castle is situated nearby, is one of many enthusiastic supporters of this eccentric pub where time really has stood still.
According to local lore when a member of the McCarthy family is close to death, a picture falls from the wall without any reason, and three very loud knocks at the front door will be heard. Many guests have said they have suddenly felt cold spots and others have seen fleeting glimpses of apparitions appear and disappear before their eyes.
A visit to McCarthy’s is an unforgettable experience; however, be sure to take a good look at the person sitting across from you in case he or she suddenly vanishes!
McCarthy’s Bar, Main Street, Fethard, Co. Tipperary; Tel:+353 (0)5 231 149
DEREK’S TIP
Almost any electrical appliance can be affected by a spirit. For example, a TV/radio stereo could turn on and off without living influence. Lights may also turn on and off without the switch being flipped. Perfectly healthy appliances can also short cut but do remember that some battery-operated toys and appliances can operate on their own.
Renvyle House Hotel
Renvyle House can be found in the wild splendour of Connemara, amid the magical beauty of sea, lake and mountains. Over several centuries, Renvyle House has been built, pulled down, rebuilt, burned to ashes and rebuilt once again. It was also the home of Oliver St John Gogarty (Buck Mulligan of James Joyce’s Ulysses) and, since becoming a country house hotel in 1883, has played host to many famous people such as Augustus John, W.B.Yeats and Winston Churchill.
Several ghosts are thought to roam the sea-sprayed house. When Dublin surgeon, poet and wit Oliver St John Gogarty purchased the property in 1917 he got more than he bargained for! No servant dared sleep in a north-facing upstairs room, with heavy bars across its windows for fear of the ‘presence’ that could be felt there. One particular night an evil force moved a heavy linen chest across the door, barring outside access. Gogarty himself was woken another night by slow plodding footsteps. Lighting a candle to investigate the corridor they seemed to be coming from, he was plunged into darkness as the candle suddenly went out. Alone in the dark he felt heavy and tired ‘as if I were exercising with rubber ropes’, as he later described it.
The poet W.B. Yeats was a close friend of Gogarty and when he came to stay with his wife, Georgia, the paranormal activity increased significantly. Yeats held a séance and, using automatic writing, the spirit indicated that it objected to the presence of strangers in the house but would reveal its identity to his wife. Georgia Yeats was a celebrated medium of her day and she later alleged she saw a vapoury mist appear by the fireside, which took the shape of a red-haired, tragic-looking, pale-faced boy.
Today guests continue to complain of invisible presences in their room. Several women have seen the reflection of a man in their mirror as they apply their make-up but when they turn around the room is cold and empty.
Renvyle House Hotel, Renvyle, Connemara, Co. Galway; Tel: +353 (0)95 43511; Fax +353 (0)95 43515; Email: info@renvyle.com; Website: www.renvyle.com.
St Michan’s Church
Named after a Danish bishop, St Michan’s Church in Dublin is one of the most unusual visitor attractions in the whole of Ireland. Founded around 1095 by the Danish colony in Oxmanstown and located near the Four Courts, the present building dates from about 1685. The church is thought to be constructed above burial vaults built upon the site of an ancient oak forest. The main appeal of the church lies in these vaults – and for good reason!
In the vaults of St Michan’s you will find one of the most atmospheric and macabre locations in Ireland. Once you descend down a steep flight of stairs to the vault the air is strangely fresh and not stale as you might expect in a place where the only living creatures are spiders. In many of the chambers coffins have been stacked on top of one another. In some places the weight of the dead is so strong that the coffins have collapsed into each other causing limbs and even heads to stick out as if posing for some ghastly sculpture. Even more incredible is that although some of the corpses have lain there for five hundred years they have not disintegrated but have been preserved like mummies.
There are open coffins on display revealing the remarkable preservation of people who died hundreds of years ago. Some of them look as if they have just fallen asleep with hair and even nails intact. Experts believe the remarkable preservation is the result of chemicals impregnated by the remains of the oak forest that stood on the site in ancient times and as long as there is no moisture in the vaults decay stops. Not surprisingly, many visitors to the vaults have heard mysterious disembodied voices and others have felt ice-cold fingers run down their neck as they bend to inspect the corpses.
St. Michan’s Church, Church Street, Dublin 7; Tel:+353 (0)1 872 4154; Fax: +353 (0)1 878 2615.
Open November–February Monday–Friday 12.30 p.m.–2.30 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.–1 p.m.; March–October Monday–Friday 10 a.m.–12.45 p.m. and 2 p.m.–4:45 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
Guided tour available.
Thoor Ballylee
Thoor Ballylee in County Gort, Galway is a sixteenth-century Norman stone tower complete with narrow staircases worn down by the passage of time. It stands four storeys high and its original windows still survive in the upper part of the building. The castle was originally part of the huge estates of the Earls of Clanrickarde and was known as Islandmore Castle. The castle was almost in ruins when it was bought and restored by W.B.Yeats, who lived there from 1921 to 1929. His residence there is commemorated by a stone tablet with some lines of verse written by him. The castle now contains a museum with mementos of the poet, including the first edition of his works.
Yeats was a firm believer in the afterlife and was convinced that the tower was haunted by the ghost of an Anglo-Norman soldier. Several years later a curate was also convinced that an apparition wafted up and down the tower stairway, and was afraid to use the stairs at night. The curator’s pet dog seemed to share this fear as it would cringe as if seeing something terrifying in the downstairs rooms. One summer’s afternoon in 1989 David Blinkthorne and his family arrived at Thoor Ballylee just as it was closing. They asked if they could photograph Yeats’s sitting room and the curator obliged and reopened the shutters of the room so that they could take their picture and explore the building.
When Mr Blinkthorne developed his prints the ghostly figure of a young boy could be seen in front of the camera. It has been suggested that the presence may have been Yeats’s son but to this day the boy’s identity remains unknown.
Thoor Ballylee, Nr Gort, Co Galway; Tel:+353 (0)91 631436.
Open daily May to September 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
DEREK’S TIP
And, finally, the most important tip of all: respect the dead.